New Orleans Hornets rookie forward Anthony Davis will miss his 10th consecutive game Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies because of a stress reaction in his left ankle injury, but Coach Monty Williams said he is making progress. Davis was seen near the end of practice Thursday at the Alario Center working on his post moves against Williams.

New Orleans Hornets rookie forward Anthony Davis watches from the bench before the Nov. 20 game against the New York Knicks at the New Orleans Arena.Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

"Every day he’s getting closer,’’ Williams said. "How close, I’m not sure. He’s got more testing to do medically to see where his ankle/foot is. I think that’s a big hurdle right now.

"He’s got to make sure the medical people say he’s at a certain level where he can do more. Today, we were just working on foot work and talking to him about things he can do going forward.’’

Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in the June NBA draft, has not been cleared yet for contact work. He has not played since complaining of a sprained left ankle after a Nov. 17 road game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Playing in just six games, Davis remains the Hornets’ second-leading scorer with a 16.0 average and he is their top rebounder with a 8.3 average. Since Davis has been out, the Hornets (5-12) have lost seven of nine games. Once Davis returns, Williams said he initially may bring him off the bench or limit his minutes.